Hard-shelled luggage with soft-side pocket

ABSTRACT

An article of luggage with a main storage volume and an outer compartment is provided. The main storage volume is enclosed by a rigid shell. The outer surface of the rigid shell is recessed to accommodate the outer compartment. A panel is attached to the recess and is nested inside the recess. The outer compartment is enclosed with a non-rigid covering that is attached to the panel.

FIELD

The present invention is directed to an article of luggage. In particular, the present invention is directed to a hard-shelled suitcase having an outer compartment.

BACKGROUND

There are a number of hard-sided suitcases on the market today. Hard-sided suitcases are desirable for their durability, sleek form, and ability to protect the contents of the suitcase, particularly during baggage handling at airports.

One drawback of hard-shelled suitcases is their lack of external compartments. Many travelers find external compartments or pockets useful for stowing items that might be used during the trip. External compartments allow the traveler to access the contents without opening the main compartment of the luggage. While a variety of pockets may be sewn into soft-shelled suitcases, there are fewer options for external pockets in hard-shelled suitcases.

SUMMARY

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an article of luggage with a main storage volume and an outer compartment. The main storage volume is enclosed by a rigid shell. The outer surface of the rigid shell is recessed to accommodate the outer compartment. A panel is attached to the recess and is nested inside the recess. The outer compartment is enclosed with a non-rigid covering that is attached to the panel.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an article of luggage.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a partial exploded view of the panel and rigid shell of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-section at section plane A-A of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-section at section plane B-B of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a partial side view of the attachment between the covering and the rigid shell at the top side of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a partial side view of the attachment between the covering and the rigid shell at the front side of the article of luggage of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described with respect to an article of luggage with a main storage volume and an outer compartment. The main storage volume is enclosed by a rigid shell. The outer surface of the rigid shell is recessed to accommodate the outer compartment. A panel is attached to the recess and is nested inside the recess. The outer compartment is enclosed with a non-rigid covering that is attached to the panel. The panel permits a soft pocket to be added to the outside of a hard-shelled suitcase. This arrangement combines the advantages of both a hard-sided suitcase and a soft-sided suitcase. The hard-sided main compartment is water-resistant and protects its contents from external forces, while the soft-sided outer compartment is easily accessible and shapes itself to fits its contents.

In FIG. 1, an article of luggage is generally shown at 100. The article of luggage 100 may have the dimensions of a standard carry-on suitcase, although the dimensions are not particularly limited. The article of luggage 100 comprises a rigid shell 102 with an inner surface (not shown) defining a main storage volume (not shown). The rigid shell 102 may comprise two halves that are openable with a closure 104 to access the main storage volume. The closure 104 may include a zipper, magnet, snap, latch or other fastener. In the implementation shown, the closure 104 is a zipper. The rigid shell 102 may comprise a material such as metal, metal alloy, carbon composite, polymer, ceramic, or wood. However, the panel is not particularly limited to the listed materials. Because of the structure and materials of the rigid shell, the main storage volume may be substantially fixed in size and shape.

In addition to the main storage volume, the article of luggage 100 comprises an outer compartment 106. The main storage volume may be larger than the volume of the outer compartment, but the relative sizes of the two storage spaces are not particularly limited. In some embodiments, the outer compartment may be sized and shaped to accommodate a substantially flat item, for example, a laptop computer. Many travelers travel with a laptop computer and they may wish to retrieve the laptop computer at points during the journey.

Travelers may find it advantageous to stow items in the outer compartment 106, separately from the items stowed in the main storage volume. This may allow travelers to retrieve a smaller number of items during their journey without opening the main storage volume. Accessing the main storage volume may have the disadvantage of requiring the traveler to lay the suitcase on the ground and may expose personal items stowed inside. Further, travelers may not wish to disturb any carefully arranged items that are packed within the main storage volume.

The outer compartment is enclosed by a covering 108. The outer compartment may be closed or opened with a fastener 110 such as a zipper, magnet, snap, latch or other fastener, however, the fastener 110 is not particularly limited. In FIG. 1, the outer compartment 106 is shown in a closed position.

In the implementation depicted in FIG. 1, the covering 108 comprises a non-rigid material. The non-rigid material may be flexible and/or stretchable. Some examples of materials that may comprise the covering 108 include woven fabric, and non-woven fabric. Due to the non-rigid material of the covering 108, the volume of the outer compartment 106 may not be fixed in size or shape, unlike the main storage volume which may be constrained by the rigid shell 102. A covering 108 that is non-rigid may shape itself to accommodate items that are inserted into the outer compartment 106. The covering 108 may allow the user to insert objects into the outer compartment that would otherwise not be accommodated within the dimensions of the outer compartment if the covering were rigid.

In other implementations (not shown), the covering 108 may be rigid or semi-rigid. In implementations with a rigid or semi-rigid covering, the covering 108 may be hinged or articulated to facilitate access to the outer compartment 106. In some implementations with a rigid or semi-rigid covering 108, portions of the covering 108 may be non-rigid or semi-rigid to facilitate access to the outer compartment 106.

It may be desirable to integrate pockets or compartments that do not interrupt the sleek outline of a hard-shelled suitcase. As shown in FIG. 1, the covering 108 may be substantially flush with an outer surface of the rigid shell 112. In this context “flush” may include a tolerance of about 2-10 millimeters when the outer compartment is empty (see ref. F in FIGS. 6 and 7). When the volume of the outer compartment expands to fit items (as described above with respect to a non-rigid covering 108), the tolerance of “flush may be about 2-50 millimeters.

Turning now to FIG. 2, an exploded view of the article of luggage is generally shown at 100. In this view, the construction of the outer compartment is visible. A portion of the rigid shell 102 defines a recess 202. The recess 202 may be sized and shaped to accommodate the outer compartment. In the implementation shown at 100, the recess 202 is positioned on a front side 204 and a top side 206 of the rigid shell, however the recess 202 is not particularly limited to this position. In some implementations, the recess 202 may be positioned on a single side of the rigid shell 102. In other implementations, the recess 202 may be positioned on any two adjacent sides selected from a list comprising: the top side 206, the front side 204, a right side (not shown), a left side (not shown), and a bottom side (not shown).

In implementations with the recess 202 positioned on the front side 204 and top side 206 of the rigid shell 102, the outer compartment may be accessible through the top side 206. For example, in FIG. 2, the covering 108 includes a fastener 110 that facilitates opening the compartment from the top side 206. In this configuration, the fastener 110 (in this case a zipper), is positioned along a top edge 208 of the covering and continues partially down the sides 210 of the covering 108. This embodiment may allow a user to insert items into the outer compartment while the article of luggage 100 is orientated in an upright position. It may not be necessary to reorient the article of luggage 100 in order to access the outer compartment. Further, the outer compartment in this implementation is sized and shaped to hold one or more flat items such as books, magazines, notepads, tablet computers, and personal laptops.

The recess 202 may include one or more apertures (not shown) for reducing the weight of the rigid shell 102. The recess 202 may further include one or more apertures (shown later in FIG. 3) for accommodating fasteners.

The article of luggage 100 further includes a panel 212 that is nested inside the recess 202. The panel 212 may be sized and shaped to fit within the recess 202 such that the panel 212 substantially covers the portion of the rigid shell defining the recess 202. The thickness of the panel 212 may depend on the desired weight of the article of luggage as well as the materials comprising the panel 212. The panel 212 may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid material such as metal, metal alloy, carbon composite, ceramic, polymer, or wood. However, the panel is not particularly limited to the listed materials.

The panel is attached to the rigid shell 102. The attachment of the panel 212 to the rigid shell 102 may include adhesives or one or more fasteners such as rivets, screws, bolts, or binding posts. Both removably attachable and non-removably attachable mechanisms are contemplated. In implementations with fasteners, the panel 212 may include one or more holes 210 for accommodating the fasteners (not shown). Corresponding holes (not shown) may be included in the recess 202. The number and positions of the fasteners may be selected according to several factors including the size and shape of the article of luggage, the materials comprising the panel and rigid shell, the anticipated contents of the article of luggage, and the size and shape of the outer compartment. In the implementation shown in FIG. 2, the panel 212 includes six holes 214 for accommodating fasteners on the front side 204 of the article of luggage 100 and three holes 216 for accommodating fasteners on the top side 206.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a partial exploded view of the panel 212 and rigid shell 102 is shown. In this implementation, the attachment between the panel 212 and the rigid shell 102 is a fastener 302. The panel 212 may have a number of holes 214 sized and positioned to correspond with a number of holes 306 in the portion of the rigid shell defining a recess 202. Each of the holes 214, 306 may accommodate a fastener 302, 304 such as a rivet, screw, bolt, or binding post. Depending on the type of fastener, the panel 212 may be removably or non-removably attached to the rigid shell 102.

The panel 212 is further attached to the covering 108. A number of attachment mechanisms may attach the covering 108 to the panel 212. A single embodiment may include multiple attachment mechanisms, with different portions of the covering 108 being attached with different attachment mechanisms. For example, the bottom edge of the covering 108 may be sewn to the panel 212 with no closure to access the outer compartment, and the top edge of the covering 108 may include a fastener which is sewn to the panel 212.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, partial cross-sections illustrate two possible methods of attaching the covering 108 to the panel 212. FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-section at section plane A-A of the article of luggage 100. FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-section at section plane B-B of the article of luggage 100. In both FIGS. 4 and 5, the covering 108 encloses the outer compartment 400, and the rigid shell 102 encloses the main storage volume 401. FIG. 4 shows an attachment of the covering 108 at the top side 206 while FIG. 5 shows an attachment of the covering 108 at the front side 204. However, the way of attaching the covering 108 is not particularly limited to these examples.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the covering 108 may be attached to the fastener 110, and the fastener 110 may be further attached to the panel 212. In this example, the fastener is a zipper, however the fastener is not particularly limited to zippers.

The edges of the covering 108 may be finished with a binding 402. The binding 402 may comprise a strip of material that is folded over the edge of the covering 108 so as to cover or protect the edge of the covering 108. The binding 402 may be attached to the covering 108 with adhesive or stitching. The binding 402 may comprise a woven or non-woven fabric, and in some embodiments, the binding 402 and the covering 108 may comprise the same material. The covering 108 may further include a lining 403. In embodiments with a lining 403, the binding 402 may be further attached to the lining 403 with adhesive or stitching. A portion of the fastener 110 may be attached to the covering 108 between the lining 403 and the binding 402. The lining 403 may additionally or alternatively be attached to the covering 108.

Another binding 404 may finish the edges of the panel 212. The binding 404 may comprise a strip of material that is folded over the edge of the panel 212 so as to cover or protect the edge of the panel 212. The binding 404 may be attached to the panel 212 with adhesive or stitching. In some embodiments, the binding 404 may comprise the same material as the covering 108. The binding 404 may be further folded over a portion of the fastener 110, which is depicted as a zipper in FIG. 4.

In some implementations, a top portion 406 of the covering 108 is positioned above an outer surface of the rigid shell 112 when the covering 108 is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 4. Consequently, the fastener 110 (in this case, a zipper) is oriented vertically, allowing the fastener 110 to be visible and more easily manipulated from the rear side 408 of the article of luggage 100.

Employing a different attachment mechanism may change the orientation of the fastener 110. In FIG. 5, a partial cross-section of the front side 204 of the article of luggage is shown at 100. In this implementation, the covering 108 is approximately flush with the rigid shell on the front side 204. Additionally, the fastener 110 is visible and accessible from the front side 204 of the article of luggage 100.

The edges of the covering 108 may be finished with a binding 402. The binding 402 may comprise a strip of material that is folded over the edge of the covering 108 so as to cover or protect the edge of the covering 108. The binding 402 may be attached to the covering 108 with adhesive or stitching. The binding 402 may comprise a woven or non-woven fabric, and in some embodiments, the binding 402 and the covering 108 may comprise the same material. The covering 108 may further include a lining 403. In embodiments with a lining 403, the binding 402 may be further attached to the lining 403 with adhesive or stitching. A portion of the fastener 110 may be attached to the covering 108 between the lining 403 and the binding 402. The lining 403 may additionally or alternatively be attached to the covering 108.

Another binding 404 may finish the edges of the panel 212. The binding 404 may comprise a strip of material that is folded over the edge of the panel 212 so as to cover or protect the edge of the panel 212. The binding 404 may be attached to the panel 212 with adhesive or stitching. In some implementations, the binding 404 may comprise the same material as the covering 108. The binding 404 may be further folded over the edge of the fastener 110, which is depicted as a zipper in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show partial side views of the attachment between the covering 108 and rigid shell 212.

FIG. 6 shows a partial side view of the attachment between the covering 108 and the rigid shell 212 at the top side 206 of the article of luggage 100. This view shows how the covering 108 is raised at the top side 206 of the article of luggage. In some implementations, such as the one shown in FIG. 6, the top side 206 and the front side 204 of the article of luggage 100 may be joined with a curved surface 600. Since the covering 108 is substantially flush with the rigid shell 102, both the covering 108 and the rigid shell 102 may include curved portions. Flush means that a distance F is minimized or reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a partial side view of the attachment between the covering 108 and the rigid shell 102 at the front side 204 of the article of luggage 100. This view shows how the covering 108 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the rigid shell 112. Flush means that the distance F is minimized or reduced.

It should now be apparent that the panel illustrated and described herein enables a soft outer compartment to be included in a rigid-shelled suitcase. The panel provides a structure to which the non-rigid covering may be attached. An advantage of the soft covering described herein is that items may be stuffed into the outer compartment, in contrast with the main storage volume which has a fixed volume due to the rigid shell. A further advantage of the article of luggage described herein is that the outer compartment can easily be accessed without opening the main storage compartment. Another advantage of the article of luggage described herein is that items stowed in the outer compartment are kept apart from the items in the main storage volume.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of luggage comprising: a rigid shell comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a main storage volume, a portion of the outer surface defining a recess to accommodate an outer compartment, the outer compartment comprising: a panel attached to the portion of the outer surface defining a recess, wherein the panel is nested inside the recess; and a non-rigid covering for enclosing the outer compartment, wherein the non-rigid covering is attached to the panel.
 2. The article of luggage of claim 1, the portion of the outer surface defining a recess further comprising a weight-reducing aperture.
 3. The article of luggage of claim 1 wherein the panel is attached to the portion of the outer surface defining a recess with at least one fastener.
 4. The article of luggage of claim 3 wherein the at least one fastener is one or both of a rivet and a binding post.
 5. The article of luggage of claim 1 wherein the non-rigid covering is sewn to the panel.
 6. The article of luggage of claim 1, the panel further including a fabric binding for covering an edge of the panel, wherein the non-rigid covering is sewn to the binding.
 7. The article of luggage of claim 1 wherein the non-rigid covering is flush with an exterior surface of the rigid shell.
 8. The article of luggage of claim 1 further comprising a top side adjacent to a front side; wherein the portion of the outer surface defining a recess is disposed on the top side and the front side of the rigid shell.
 9. The article of luggage of claim 8 further comprising a curved surface joining the top side and the front side.
 10. The article of luggage of claim 7 wherein the non-rigid covering is openable from the top side to allow vertical insertion of an article into the outer compartment.
 11. The article of luggage of claim 10 wherein the outer compartment is shaped and sized to fit a portable computer.
 12. The article of luggage of claim 10 wherein the non-rigid covering is flush with the exterior surface of the rigid shell on the front side, and wherein the non-rigid covering is raised above the exterior surface of the rigid shell on the top side.
 13. The article of luggage of claim 1, the non-rigid covering including a fastener to open and close the outer compartment.
 14. The article of luggage of claim 13 wherein the fastener comprises a magnet.
 15. The article of luggage of claim 13 wherein the fastener comprises a zipper.
 16. An article of luggage comprising: a rigid shell comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a main storage volume, a portion of the outer surface defining a recess to accommodate an outer compartment, the outer compartment comprising: a panel attached to the portion of the outer surface defining a recess, wherein the panel is nested inside the recess; and a non-rigid covering for enclosing the outer compartment, the non-rigid covering attached to the panel, wherein the non-rigid covering is flush with an exterior surface of the rigid shell; wherein the portion of the outer surface is disposed on a top side and a front side of the rigid shell; and wherein the non-rigid covering is openable from the top side to allow vertical insertion of an article into the outer compartment.
 17. The article of luggage of claim 15 wherein the outer compartment is shaped and sized to fit a portable computer and the non-rigid covering including a zipper to open and close the outer compartment. 